Egyptians occupy Tahir Square on June 2, 2012 to demand a new revolution in the wake of the Mubarak trials

Today in San Francisco, Egyptians, Arabs, and Occupiers in the Bay Area are marching in solidarity with the Egyptian Revolution. Gather at Union Square (SF) at 6:30pm Pacific time! More info.

You may remember “To the Occupy Movement” a letter of solidarity from Egyptian revolutionaries calling themselves ‘Comrades from Cairo’. A new letter has emerged bearing this signature, this one attacking the fraudulent and reactionary practice of elections. Down with all elections! Solidarity to all who struggle against the capitalist states whose preferred method of stealing agency is electoral freedom of choice. Might we add, Solidarity means attack! - via strikeisaverb.net

by Comrades from Cairo

To you at whose side we struggle,

From the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, the powers that be have launched a vicious counter-revolution to contain our struggle and subsume it by drowning the people’s voices in a process of meaningless, piecemeal political reforms. This process aimed at deflecting the path of revolution and the Egyptian people’s demands for “bread, freedom and social justice.” Only 18 days into our revolution, and since we forced Mubarak out of power, the discourse of the political classes and the infrastructure of the elites, including both state and private media, continues to privilege discussions of rotating Ministers, cabinet reshuffles, referendums, committees, constitutions and most glaringly, parliamentary and now presidential elections.

Our choice from the very beginning was to reject in their entirety the regime’s attempts to drag the people’s revolution into a farcical dialogue with the counter-revolution shrouded in the discourse of a “democratic process” which neither promotes the demands of the revolution nor represents any substantial, real democracy. Thus our revolution continues, and must continue.

Egyptians now find themselves in a vulnerable moment. Official political discourse would have the world believe that the technologies of democracy presently spell a choice between ‘two evils’. These are: Ahmed Shafiq, who guarantees the consolidation of the outgoing regime and its return with a vengeance, openly promising a criminal assault on the revolution under the fascist spectres of ‘security’ and ‘stability’, and the false promise of protection for religious minorities (against whom the regime systematically stages assault and isolation as part of its fear-mongering campaigns); and Mohamed Morsi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood whom we are expected to imagine might ‘save’ us from the ‘old regime’ through the myths of cultural renaissance — all while consolidating its financial stronghold and the regional capitalist hegemony that fosters and depends on it for a climate of rampant exploitation of Egypt’s people and their resources. This consolidation, we are certain, will be accompanied by the subsequent marshalling of the military apparatus to protect the emboldened ruling class of the Muslim Brotherhood from the wrath and revolt of its victims: the multitude whom the leaders of the organization have historically fought by condemning and outlawing our struggles for livelihood, dignity and equality.

According to election officials, most voters themselves (75%) have chosen neither Shafiq nor Morsi in the first round of elections. We refuse to recognize the choice of “lesser of two evils” when these evils masquerade in equal measure for the same regime. We believe there is another choice. And in times where perceived common sense is as far from the truth as can be, we find the need to speak out once again.

We perceive the affair of presidential elections in Egypt as an attempt by the as yet prevailing military junta and its counter-revolutionary forces to garner international legitimacy to cement the existing regime and deliver more lethal blows to the Egyptian revolution. We ask you to join us in resisting the logic of this process that seeks to further entrench the counter-revolution.

Our struggle does not exist in isolation from yours.

What is revolution, but the immediate and uncompromising rejection of the status quo: of militarized power, exploitation, class stratification, and relentless police violence — just to name a few of the most basic and cancerous features of society in the present moment. These structural realities are not unique to Egypt or the Egyptian revolution. In both the South and the North communities resist what we are meant to accept without questioning, rising up against the narrow realist perspective that tells us that democracy is merely choosing the lesser of ‘two evils’, and that the election of either represents a choice in government rather than what it is: an affirmation of the only government that exists — that of unbridled, repressive and dehumanizing capitalist relations. We stand in solidarity with the masses of precarious and endangered people who have chosen to defend their being from an aggressive global system that is in crisis; indeed, a sputtering system that, in its twilight hours, reaches for unprecedented levels of surveillance, militarization and violence to quell our insurrections.

We must make clear that despite the fact of the international political establishment’s praise of the ‘democratic’ nature of the first round of the Egyptian presidential elections, we strongly and categorically reject the outcome of these elections for they do not represent the desires of the Egyptian people that fought in the January 25th Revolution.

Furthermore, we categorically reject the elections themselves in principle, for the following reasons:

1- Even by the standards of the deceased and irrelevant systems of representation that once existed in the Global North, no ‘free and fair elections’ can take place under the supervision of a power-hungry military junta, vying relentlessly for continued political domination and the protection of their vast economic empire, so relentlessly, indeed, that no constitution exists to define the powers of any presidency. How can we tolerate a military dictatorship’s supervision of any political process when thousands of Egyptians continue to languish in the dungeons of military prison after undergoing arbitrary arrest, campaigns of systematic torture, and exceptional military tribunals.

2- The abuse of law in favor of the power mongering of the ruling military generals: in order to run the junta’s preferred candidate, former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission has simply and blatantly disregarded the law of political exclusion recently passed in order to ban the candidacy of any members of Mubarak’s regime from running in the presidential elections.

3- The absurdity of unlimited power concentrated in the hands of an electoral commission made up of central figures from the Mubarak era who are meant to supervise a ‘democratic’ process.

4- The vague programs marketed by the most strongly backed candidates fly in the face of the values and object of the revolution, the very reason why we are even having these elections today and the cause for which over a thousand martyrs gave their lives: “bread, freedom and social justice.”

If these elections take place and are internationally recognized the regime will have received the world’s stamp of approval to make void everything the revolution stands for. If these elections are to pass while we remain silent, we believe the coming regime will license itself to hunt us down, lock us up and torture us in an attempt to quell all forms of resistance to its very raison d’être.

We continue on our revolutionary path committed to resisting military rule and putting an end to military tribunals for civilians and the release of all detainees in military prisons. We continue to struggle in the workplace, in schools and universities and with popular committees in our neighborhoods. But our fight is as much against the governments and systems supporting the regime that suppresses us. We are determined to audit loan agreements that did and continue to occur between international financial institutions or foreign governments with a regime that claims to represent us while thriving from exploiting and repressing us. We call on you to join us in our struggle against the reinforcements of the counter-revolution. How will you stand in solidarity with us? If we are under attack, you are also under attack for our battle is a global one against the forces that seek our obedience and suppression.

We stand with the ongoing revolution, a revolution that will only be realized by the strength, community and persistence of the people; not through a poisonous referendum for military rule.

16 Comments

The monetary system cannot continue to sustain itself. Every year more people = more need. Printing more money is definitely not the answer. The only real answer is to do away with money all together and become a society that shares and cares. Facts are, there is more than enough of everything on the planet for everyone to be healthy and entertained. Oh, more than enough of everything except, money. As long as we allow those in control to continue to feed us this nonsense that we need to compete, struggle, conquer to survive we are doomed. The answer is simple, get rid of money all together. As long as someone can obtain massive amounts of wealth and assets someone else somewhere else will die in poverty. There doesn't need to be individual wealth. Once we eliminate money and get everyone on their feet and healthy, character will be the measure of ones worth. As it should be

Reverse austerity? How? They will bounce payroll in months and then try to pass off a currency that no one will want whose purchasing power will collapse. Think a Swiss pharma company is going to take Drachmas for medicine? Smarten up.

"In the worst-case scenario, the country may stop paying salaries and pensions or dip into funds intended for Greece’s ailing banks." - HuffPo article 6/11/12 with warnings from Papandreou that Greece will "run out of money."

It is difficult to verify the authenticity of a message such as this, and to know who the writer is speaking for. The content however is compelling. I'll listen to Sharif Abdel Kaddous' next report from Cairo more closely to help put this letter in context.

Overall I agree that the election in Egypt appears to be used to legitimize a counter-revolutionary government. And I understand that elections are used in such ways throughout the world and in the united states. That does not however mean that elections themselves are the problem. This statement: "Down with all elections! Solidarity to all who struggle against the capitalist states whose preferred method of stealing agency is electoral freedom of choice." is composed of two sentences that do not logically follow one another no matter how you arrange them.

I understand the emancipatory power of revolution, and it is wonderful to behold in so many these days. The childish absolutes however need to go. Emancipation from tyranny is not possible if you emancipate yourself from your senses.

I was wondering how to put a comment together as the article left me with a mixed understanding,I then read your comment aaronparr and saw you understood it far better than I did.I agree with your logic.

Did you read what it said? This letter is not from an Islamist organization! Or do you mean that we don't have anything in common with any Egyptians regardless of their beliefs? Because if so, I disagree.

6/5/012
I for one stand in solidarity with our family in Egypt fighting for "bread, freedom and social justice." Each of us must make up our minds and come to our own conclusions, then, network with others as we can in order to have a collective understanding of the general global situation.

On a global level, we all fight the same common enemy: Global Fascism and its axis of evil with its increasing concentration of material wealth on a global scale. We need to see the whole situation from a global overview.

A relevant revolution means the seizure of state power by any means necessary via the transformation of property relations. There has been no actual revolution in Egypt yet, the people are not 'in power and secure', the people do not have ownership and control of the land and all the institutions thereon, a true indicator of real power and the actual capacity for people to determine their own destiny.

I am inside the United States, in the brain of the beast and in a vital nerve center. Thus, we have our own Liberation struggle to wage here where we are. We are one family of humanity. The best way we can help our family in Egypt is for us to wake up, stay awake and get involved in the Liberation struggle from wherever we are upon Mother Earth.

When possible we must continue to exhaust all legal and peaceful methods of struggle, but we will win by any means mandatory. . We need to use all applicable tactics and be in tune with the consciousness of the people, not rush ahead without their mass support for the Resistance. Be assured we are unstoppable and we will win. Venceremos!

A real revolution requires the transformation of property relations, the people in Egypt are still fighting for the success of their revolutionary movement. A movement in itself is not a revolution.

Life is a process but the climax of revolution is the seizure of state power and all of its holdings. Life is revolution. We need to identify what a revolution is in terms of its success, when the people are in power and secure. Appreciate Feedback. @Peta_de_Aztlan

I would agree with your definition of "real revolution", if you were describing a successful outcome of revolution.

The problem I have with your language is that it is misleading. You seek to define revolution as a moment in time as if it was a project that you could complete. A coup can be described as such but I don't think revolution can.

Revolution is a transition from one kind of government to another. But when you are beset upon day after, year after year by those with interests counter to the best interests of the vast majority of humanity - you can't stop resisting them nor stop pushing for change. Revolutionary spirit is needed in all democratic societies or you end up with what the US Gov't has become - a thoroughly corrupted monster governing at the whim of the rich. I believe this is what Martin Luther King Jr was talking about when he spoke about rekindling the revolutionary spirit: he was saying that Americans needed to reach back to their roots as a revolutionary people and move themselves forward again - to prevent the kings of the world leading the rest of us into war, from keeping us poor, etc.. This was what he was speaking out about before he was killed, the link between racism (defining another human as other), entrenched poverty, and never ending war.

Revolution never stops in a society that governs itself by the will of the people. As soon as the people turn their attention away from the government, counter revolutionary forces will work to gradually get the upper hand again. Counter revolutionary forces s just another name we use for agents of change - albeit negative forces from our perspective. So who's revolution is it then? Does revolution ever stop?

If you want a sharp definition perhaps you could say that Revolution is the period of extreme measures the public must take when the gov't is no longer responsive to public will (and thus illegitimate). But once gov't is responsive again, and does the will of the people, is it a good idea to relax? What comes after a revolution has been successful?

I don't know. I think it becomes ridiculous to try to define things like this. In my view, Revolution never stops. You can't let up. You must constantly push for a better society, a more equitable society, and one in which we are able to govern ourselves in our own best interest. Its been a very longtime since our gov't acted in our own best interest.

We all need to stop for a a minute and look around and ask what do we need to do differently. Im talking about everything. How can we as a society lower the cost of living. Label it what ever you want to, if it works then we go with it. I know one thing for a fact. Based off simple math. With how money works today, if everyone was pulled out of poverty through hard work, not given to them. There still wouldn't be enough money to go around. We will always have to push other people down to get ahead. People say print money, with the rules of economics that causes inflation and it lowers the value of your currency.